After the Twilight
by pkmnmastrKJACxo
Summary: My new fanfic, first one ever. periodically uploading chapters so bear with me here. all in all it's one of my personal bests. :
1. Chapter 1: First Encounters

Ok so this is the first chapter, "first encounters". And just to let everyone know what we already know: I DO NOT OWN YU YU HAKUSHO OR ITS CHARACTERS...i just own my OC's...

***

"Kanna," a voice could be heard somewhere in the darkness, "Kyoko, have you found them yet?" A man stepped forth out of the shadows. His long black hair streamed behind him as he paced about the castle.

"Yes, My Lord," came the eerie reply. The little girl spoke in a hushed and almost inaudible voice. She held up an extremely fragile-looking and ornate mirror and whispered, "They are here...here in this very city, Lord Naraku."

"Are you certain, Kanna?" Yakumo sounded unconvinced, "Can you honestly tell me they are here?" Naraku walked over to were the snow-white child sat and looked deep into the mirror. The face of a beautiful raven-haired woman stared back at him, her wide, golden eyes glazed over.

Naraku reached out his hand, as if to gently touch her face, but then quickly drew away; a terrible, seething hatred began to churn up inside him as her eyes penetrated his.

"Damn her..." he muttered to himself. His red eyes flashed blue for a second, and then he turned away. He left the room in a fit of silent anger.

"Strange," Kanna mused as the image faded and died on the mirror's glassy surface.

"What's strange?" A new angry voice emerged from behind Kanna. "What's strange about it, Kanna? He hates us! Everybody knows it."

"Us?" Kanna said blankly. She tapped the glass of the mirror to reveal another image: a young girl sitting underneath a large oak tree, tenderly stroking a small white kitten. "I believe he hates not us, Kagura," Kanna stated.

"Regardless! We hate HIM!!" Kagura snapped, "One day I will rid this world of him! I'll put his head on a stick! I'll—"

"What say you, Kagura?" Kanna interrupted, "What is your wish?"

"Do you really need to ask that question?" Kagura's eyes widened, "FREEDOM! I wish to be free to do as I please."

"Your wish will come true..." was Kanna's solemn reply, "It will be done... the clock has started ticking, the tide has started turning... tell me a story."

"A story?" Kagura's eyes blazed with anger, "You want me to tell you a story?!"

Kanna merely shook her head, "No, Kagura; it has already begun."

Kagura stared down at her sister, a puzzled look coming across her face, "What has begun, Kanna?" Kagura pulled out an elegant Japanese fan, and began to cool herself. "What're you talking about?"

"Our story," Kanna answered simply.

"Why? Why must you always speak in riddles, Kanna?!" Kagura yelled in agitation.

"It has begun, yes...but it will end shortly." And with that, Kanna turned to leave the room, "I must be off...I must see to something."

"Hmph! Another of that fool's wishes to attend to, Kanna?" Kagura squirmed uncomfortably, "Why do you cater to him like some kind of—"

"—dog?" Kanna stopped and turned to face her sister, "You have your wish...and I have mine. Your wish is to be free...while mine is to live."

Kagura frowned. "Is _this_ what you call living? Hmph! I'd rather be dead!"

"I have accepted it. I am no more than Naraku's pawn...I was created from him, and I live to serve him...as long as I obey him I will stay alive—but if you continue to defy him...you _will_ die; you must learn your place."

"WHAT?!" Kagura bellowed, snapping the fan closed. A sudden gust of wind swept through the room. "I will not be spoken to like that, Kanna! You may have accepted this fate, but I have _not_!"

"There is happiness for those who accept their fate;" Kanna tapped the glass of her mirror, causing the same image of the little girl beneath the oak tree to reappear, "there is glory for those who defy it...but be wary, sister..."

Kagura's frown deepened.

"...Your glory walks hand in hand with your end..."

***

It was a truly beautiful day; surprisingly hot for the month, but simply beautiful all the same.

Kurama walked with Yokiru along the road. The two fox demons slowly, but surely making their way down to the elementary school. The latter, of whom, was wearing an adorable, pink baseball hat.

"I don't want to go!" Yokiru said as Kurama sighed and rolled his eyes...Yokiru had been going on like that all morning. "Aren't I smart enough already? I already know lots!"

"I know you do," Kurama said simply. That had been his answer to everything she'd said that morning. "But you're going anyway."

"I don't want to!"

"Why?"

"Because! I don't have any friends there...I don't know anybody... Why can't I just stay home with Mama Shiori? She's really nice to me! She lets me eat cookies, and cake, and all the other yummy stuff she makes, like—"

"Yokiru," Kurama cut her off mid-sentence, "you're babbling."

Yokiru visibly deflated. "Sorry, I talk lots when I'm scared..."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine; I'm sure you'll make friends...but you have to relax, alright?"

Just as the elementary school building was coming into view, Kurama stopped suddenly, a slightly troubled look on his face; he looked down at Yokiru, who stared up at him questioningly. He knelt down to meet her eyes, "Yokiru, do you remember how I taught you to hide your tail during the day?"

"Oh yes, yes! I hid it; you don't need to worry about that!" she said jauntily. Then, she turned around fully, so he could see that her fox tail was, indeed, hidden.

"Alright then, how about your ears?" he laughed, tapping her lightly on the head. "Perhaps this cute, little hat has something to do with those?"

Yokiru blushed, slightly irritated, but mostly embarrassed by Kurama's knowing smile. "I couldn't do it!" she sobbed, "I tried, I really did, but I can't hide them...I don't know how..."

Then, almost at once, Yokiru brightened again, "So then I found this hat and thought maybe I could wear it so nobody would notice! That'll work, right?"

Kurama sighed and bent his head in frustration, "Why didn't you just ask me how to do it?"

"I-I thought I'd be able to do it all by myself..." she answered very quietly. "I'm sorry..."

"Well, you can't wear that; hats aren't allowed in school," he said simply.

"Why?"

"Because that's just the way it is." He straightened himself, and looked down at her, now grinning mischievously, "I guess we'll just have to tell them you have flees."

"W-WHAT?!" she cried unbelievingly, "I do NOT have flees!"

She scowled up at him; this made Kurama grin even wider. "Sorry, Yokiru, that's the only way they'll let you wear your hat," he said, playfully patting her head.

"But...but I don't have flees!" she said, looking as though she was about to cry.

"I know you don't," Kurama answered calmly, "But that is the only way you can wear the hat in school—it's your own fault, though; maybe tomorrow you'll ask for my help?"

"Hmmm... Oh fine. I'll have the dirty flees...but just for today, right?"

"Yes, just for today."

As they reached the gates of the school, Kurama couldn't help but notice how silent Yokiru had become.

"Yokiru, what's wrong? What's really bothering you?"

Then, slowly, she looked up at him, very frightened, and said in a quiet, almost inaudible voice, "What if they don't like me?"

Kurama stared at her quizzically for a minute, but then his gaze was warm and loving; he smiled, "Well then, at least you'll always have me."

Silent for just a minute, Yokiru pondered his statement, and then beamed, "Always?"

"Always," he promised.

She smiled as she took his hand, and the two of them walked into the building together.

***

Kio was sitting beneath a large oak tree with a tiny beige kitten, napping in her lap. It had seemed like an eternity since she'd just been able to lie somewhere without having to worry about any disasters occurring. The kitten seemed to be enjoying the peacefulness of this city too, and she purred happily as Kio tenderly stroked her glossy coat of fur.

Kio watched as the human children in the park played alongside their parents. Although they were all her age, she could not help but comment on how trivial and simple-minded they all seemed.

"Anything will amuse them, isn't that right, Kotori?" said Kio addressing the kitten in her lap.

Upon hearing this remark, Kotori stirred. She looked up at Kio, her bright eyes looking somewhat puzzled, and she mewed softly.

"You know what, Kotori?" Kio said looking down at the tiny demon cat. "I'm glad I'm half demon, and I hope I never meet my human parent..."

Kotori mewed again, this time lower, it almost seemed like a growl, but Kio paid no attention to it...

"I have Hiei-sama anyway; I don't need parents—especially not human parents." She scowled darkly before continuing, "They didn't want me anyway...hn, I hope they're dead."

Kotori growled a bit after this statement left Kio. She hissed and lifted herself from Kio's lap. Jumping away from her, she ran up the large oak tree and settled into glaring dangerously at Kio from one of the branches.

Kio was a bit taken aback by Kotori's reaction, and she wondered what she could have said to make Kotori so mad, "What's wrong with you?"

Kotori's glare sharpened.

"Whatever...it's none of your business anyway," she sighed.

"Kio," a voice said from behind her.

Kio turned around quickly to see Hiei standing behind her. She smiled.

"Hi, Hiei-sama!" she said smiling.

Hiei's gaze shifted from Kio to Kotori and then back to Kio again, and Kio thought she might have seen him smile before he said, "Get Kotori; we're going."

"Ok," said Kio. "I'm coming."

And with that, Hiei turned to leave, knowing that Kio would follow him.

As Kio watched him go, she turned her attention back to Kotori. She called for the demon-cat to come out of the tree, but Kotori showed no signs of having heard her; she just kept still on that branch. Kio was getting irritated, and if not pressed for time, she might just have climbed up into that tree and dragged Kotori down herself. However, she was tired, and did not feel up to it.

"Oh, fine!" Kio yelled, turning to walk after Hiei. "You just come and find us whenever, okay?" Kio started to leave, but stopped suddenly, sighing, she turned around and faced Kotori, "Hey you better hurry up and come down unless you wanna be late for eating. Me and Hiei-sama aren't gonna wait for you, Kotori!" And then she turned and started running after Hiei.

***

Yusuke and Keiko were walking hurriedly down the streets of Tokyo...once again Yusuke had slept in, causing Keiko to come looking for him at his house—they were now running very late.

"You know, Yusuke, sometimes I just want to STRANGLE you!!" Keiko yelled angrily as the two of them walked hurriedly down the road, the brown-haired girl walking just a step ahead of her partner. "Do you have any idea how late we are?!"

To be honest, Yusuke wasn't listening to any of Keiko's ramblings—he had learned to drown her out years ago... in fact, he'd all but forgotten she was even there—you see, for the past ten minutes he had been observing a group of high school girls who were standing not to far from them.

It looked like there were three of them, two with short hair, and one with long hair; she, Yusuke noticed, was very cute.

"Whoa, she's hot," he muttered to himself.

Yusuke glanced sideways at Keiko who was, he thought, too wrapped up in her angry speech to notice him if he were to quickly slip away. Taking one last look at Keiko (just to be sure) Yusuke managed to wiggle his way out of her sight to join the group of girls.

"_Oh my God!_" Yusuke heard one of the short-haired girls cry as he approached, "_I didn't know you liked that type of music!_"

The cute one hooked a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear and blushed, "Well, yeah, I mean they _are_ the Gods of Heavy Metal! How could you not fall in love with them?"

"Eeewww—but it's Slipknot—that's such a _guy_ thing!" laughed the third girl.

Their blabber was interrupted when Yusuke reached the group. "Hey ladies," he said, putting his arm around one of the girls, "Mind if I join in the conversation? It's just so clever..."

"Um...Excuse you! Just what do you think you're doing?" asked the short-haired girl he had his arm around. She was glaring at Yusuke as if he had no right to even be on the same planet as her...but Yusuke either pretended not to notice or he was truly oblivious.

"Oh me?" Yusuke smirked, "Just hangin'."

It was then that the second girl—the one with the long hair that Yusuke had picked out as the cute one—approached him.

"Hey, cutie, what's your name?" he said grinning wryly.

She raised an eyebrow, hooked another long strand of dark hair behind her ear and chuckled a little before answering, "Shino." She took a step forward, then another, and another until she was right in front of him. Yusuke was, to his own great disbelief getting a little bit ...nervous. He had to fight the urge to take a step back when Shino came even nearer.

"Do you really think you can handle _this_?" she asked when their noses were almost touching. "I sure don't."

Yusuke was, understandably, a bit caught off his guard—no girl had _ever_ talked to him like that, not even Keiko. And then, all at once Keiko's face broke clearly in his mind and he faltered.

"Puh-lease...I knew you couldn't," laughed Shino.

And then another one of the girls approached Yusuke, saying, "Yeah, we're from Kasanegafuchi, so back off!"

At this Yusuke's eyes widened, then he smirked every bit as arrogantly as before, put his other arm around Shino, and laughed. "You guys are from Kasanegafuchi? Really? Didn't think there were any babes down there—just thugs and wannabees, you know?"

At this Shino smiled and said, "I think I do."

"YUSUKE URAMESHI!" The unhappy sound rang through his ears...

Yusuke cringed at the sight of Keiko as she came storming up to them, a look of pure disgust on her face. "Just what the heck do you think you're doing?!" she says at the sight of him with his arms around two girls. (He hastily dropped them to his sides and stiffened nervously.)

"I'll tell you," Shino spoke up, folding her arms, "Your lame-ass boyfriend was just hitting on us."

Keiko glared at him, silently fuming.

Yusuke drew in a sharp breath before saying, "Hey Keiko, they're from Kasane; I'm just foolin' around!"

"Whatever!" Keiko snapped. "Just hurry up and leave these poor girls alone!"

"Fine, fine," Yusuke sighed, "just one more thing..."

And it was then that with such speed—so fast that Keiko couldn't even see it happening—his hands snaked their way up Shino and her friend's skirts and he fondled them.

Shino's friend screamed, while Keiko and Shino both yell, "Pervert!" before simultaneously slapping him in the face with such force that he was thrown to the ground.

"Pervert!" Shino yelled again, blushing furiously. "You'd better _hope_ I never see your face again!" And she and her friends ran off in the opposite direction.

Keiko shot a furious glare at Yusuke before turning to leave.

Yusuke smiled to himself, holding his now-burning cheeks saying, "Wow, that smarts! But altogether I'd say it was worth it."

And with that he stood and hurried after Keiko, being very careful to keep his distance.

***

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and his friends—Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura—sat in a circle on the roof of Sarayashiki Junior High School, eating lunch. Yusuke was in the process of telling them why Keiko's been ignoring him all day.

"Really?" said Sawamura anxiously, "Two girls at the same time?"

Yusuke just smiles as if to say 'yup'.

Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura smile and applaud his skills while Kuwabara just sits looking at Yusuke disdainfully.

"That is soooo wrong, Urameshi," said Kuwabara, "It's no wonder Keiko's not talkin' to ya!" His frown deepened and his voice rose a bit as he continued. "Geez, Urameshi, I mean do you even know who those girls were?"

"Well one of them said her name was Shino." Yusuke smiled wryly, "I liked her the best."

Kuwabara sighed. "That's sick, man."

But Kirishima looked thoughtful. He gasped, "Shino? ...Not Shino Abe?"

Yusuke looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Who?"

Kirishima's jaw dropped, but before he could continue Okubo jumped in, "Shino Abe, the 'Queen of Kasanegafuchi'.".

"Listen, man," said Sawamura. "This girl—did she have really, really long hair?

Yusuke nodded.

"And lots of jewelry? Like necklaces and earrings?"

Yusuke nodded again.

"And was her skirt really, really short, like she had it pinned up?"

Yusuke thought hard about that one, and then remembering that being the reason he decided to grope her, he nodded again.

Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura just stared at Yusuke unbelieving. Yusuke looked to Kuwabara for an explanation, who simply shrugged as if to say 'Don't look at me.'

The Okubo broke the silence, saying "That girl was Shino Abe, Yusuke!"

Finally irritated, Yusuke shouts, "Just who the HELL is Shino Abe?"

"She's the 'Queen of Kasanegafuchi'," said Sawamura. "At least that's what people call her. She's tight with Daisuke Motomoto and she can have that whole school on you in an instant!"

"All the Kasane guys want her," Kirishima added. "Even some guys here."

Yusuke and Kuwabara both gape at them, mouths wide open.

Then Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura smile suddenly and Sawamura pats Yusuke on the back and laughs.

"You pissed her off. Way to go, man."

Yusuke and Kuwabara look at each other nervously.

***

The sun was setting, casting a golden hue across the sky. Yokiru was waiting patiently for Kurama near the fountain outside of her elementary school building. She trailed one of her small fingers through the water, making different shapes in the pool. She couldn't help but notice how the golden sky reflected off the surface of the water in the most beautiful way.

And though she was surrounded by all this beauty, she could not help but to think of how awful her first day of school had been. The teacher was a cruel old woman, who had cringed when Kurama had told her about Yokiru's "fleas". Every time Yokiru had come to her with a question, she shielded her head and said, "Go sit down, dear, Shuichi says your smart, go figure it out."

But the children had been the worst. Just as she had predicted, no one spoke to her the whole day. When she had asked a couple of them if she could join in their soccer game, they pretended not to hear her and continued with their game. She had spent nap time lying awake in a corner, thinking about how much she missed Mama Shiori's baking.

She couldn't imagine having to keep coming back to a place as awful as this _everyday_. The only piece of comfort she had was of Kurama. She knew that even if nobody else ever spoke a word to her, she would at least have him. She wondered what was taking him so long to pick her up.

Then, her ears perked up from underneath her hat. Someone was playing music. It was beautiful and she couldn't help but be drawn to it. She hopped down from her perch on the fountain and made her way down the street, following the beautiful sound.

And then she saw who was playing it.

A young woman was sitting on a bench, turning the handle of a music box. She was pale, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was beautiful.

"Hi, miss!" Yokiru called out. She waved when the woman turned to look at her, and then the music stopped.

The woman beckoned Yokiru over to the bench, and Yokiru went to her.

"Hello, Yokiru," said the woman—her voice was eerily quiet.

"You know my name!" Yokiru said happily. "Do you go to the school?"

The woman closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "No. I know many things, young fox."

This took Yokiru by surprise—she thought she had hidden herself well...her tail was showing perhaps? Or was it her ears? Either way, it was plain to see that this woman was not human, and Yokiru was suddenly very afraid.

"I...um, I gotta go...um Kura—I mean, my big brother is coming to get me soon so I need to go back to the fountain. He told me to wait for him, so—"

"Don't be frightened," interrupted the woman, "I mean no harm; I am your friend." She slid her hand into her pocket and Yokiru stiffened, unsure of what to expect. From her pocket, the woman pulled out a tiny gold ball on a chain. "This is for you; a gift of sorts."

Yokiru was intrigued. She had always loved shiny things, and getting presents was always high on her list. So she took it.

"Thank you!"

"But," said the woman softly, "you must promise me you will not lose it. It will be important to you. Do you understand?"

"Ok, I promise! Thanks so much!" Yokiru said, beaming and dangling the gold ball over the palm of her hand. The sun was almost set now, and it was getting very dark. Yokiru remembered Kurama, and how he had told her not to wander off.

"Oh no! I've got to get back to the fountain!"

"Yes. You must go now. We will meet again. Tomorrow, yes?"

Yokiru nodded. "Wait 'til Kura—I mean, big brother sees this!" Although Kurama was not truly Yokiru's brother, it was a sort of lie they had come up with to tell strangers, and through the use of fox magic, they had even fooled Kurama's mother, Shiori, into believing Yokiru to be her own child.

"Well, I'll see you around, miss. And thanks again!" Yokiru said as she ran back up the street. She got to the fountain and saw Kurama waiting for her.

"And where did you get off to?" he asked, a cool expression on his face.

"Oh i just...um, went to buy something at the store down the street."

Kurama sighed and put his head in his hands. "Yokiru, you know I told you to stay here, at the fountain. But...oh it's nothing I guess...let's go home." he smiled down at her.

She nodded and reached out her hand for his, he took it and together they began walking down the road.

"So, how was your first day?" he asked her. She shrugged, but didn't answer. Her hold on his hand tightened and she continued walking. Kurama looked down at her sadly. "It gets better, I promise."

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Ok so i know not much happened. Right now, I'm just introducing the characters. But like Kurama says it does get better, the next chapter is where the action starts. So please keep reading. :)


	2. Chapter 2: The Behemoth

It was now very dark in the Human world, very late. Kotori still hadn't come home, and Kio was getting worried. So she had left the abandoned construction site her and Hiei lived in—without telling him—and had returned to the park. Kotori wasn't in the branch anymore. In fact, there was no trace of her anywhere.

"Kotori?" Kio called into the darkness of the park. She checked the swing set, the see-saw, even the covered slide...Kotori wasn't there.

She heard a branch break.

Startled, she jumped and spun around. And there, staring at her with large, sinister red eyes, was a crow.

Kio froze. There was something not right about this bird...it seemed...almost evil. Just as Kio was about to run, the bird screeched a horrible, piercing sound, so loud that Kio had to cover her ears. She closed her eyes and then it was quiet. Slowly, she opened them and the crow was gone.

Kio was now very afraid. All she wanted was to find Kotori and get back to Hiei. She wondered what she had said that made Kotori so mad at her. She thought that maybe if she hadn't said those things about humans, Kotori wouldn't have left her.

She regretted saying those things.

Kio looked up at the sky and sighed. Then she turned and left the park, heading home.

But the crow that had appeared in front of her was perched on a nearby tree branch. And it watched her as she left.

***

The next day was a miserable one. The sun hung limply in the sky, surrounded by clouds and fog. Yusuke and Kuwabara were walking to school together, and Yusuke could not believe that Keiko had left without him that morning. Kuwabara, on the other hand, had no problem believing it.

"You know, she hasn't spoken to ya, since you pulled that move yesterday," Kuwabara said as they walked.

"So what?" said Yusuke flippantly.

"Kuwabara sighed and continued, "SO, maybe you should just swallow your stupid pride and say yer sorry."

They continued walking silently for a few more minutes with Yusuke pouting angrily. But then all at once, the silence was broken by an ear-splitting scream.

Yusuke and Kuwabara jumped, looking frantically around for wear the scream could have come from.

Then, Yusuke stiffened, listening very carefully. A second scream catches his attention, and then all at once he turns and starts sprinting, yelling at Kuwabara, "Hey, it's this way!"

The two of them don't have to run very far before they hear another scream, and then they see a huge demon, a demon with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a horse towering over a human girl. The girl, Yusuke notices looks somewhat familiar.

The centaur rears up on its hind legs, and then stomps causing the girl to fall backwards. Without hesitation, Yusuke dashes forward and Kuwabara follows—his Spirit Sword already summoned.

Yusuke fires a Sprit Gun blast; it's a direct hit, but the monster seems unfazed. Desperate, Yusuke fires a massive 'Spirit Shotgun', and this time when hit, the centaur stumbles and falls forward, nearly crushing the girl who had rolled out of the way at the last minute.

Kuwabara runs to her and asks, "Are you ok?"

She nods, trembling badly, obviously scared out of her mind.

As Yusuke approaches them, he stops dead—finally recognizing her...long hair, short skirt, jewelry. He locks eyes with her for what seems like hours, and finally her terrified expression fades into an angry venomous glare, apparently having recognized him as well.

She opens her mouth, eyes blazing , "YOU...!"

But before she can say anything else, the centaur was back up and charging the three of them.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME!" the centaur bellowed in a monstrous tone. It reared up again and roared, "I'LL BREAK YOU IN HALF!"

Kuwabara pushed the girl out of the way right before he and Yusuke were kicked clear across the pavement by the centaur's hooves.

The girl scurries away and the centaur gives chase, although it seems slower than it was thanks to the damage received from Yusuke's Spirit Shotgun.

In a world of pain, Yusuke struggled to stand; clutching his stomach he is barely able to do so. He watched as the girl tripped and fell...

_I won't make it_, he thought, _She's just too far..._

Then, suddenly, an angry roar erupts on the battle field. A cry that did not come from the centaur—

—An enormous, two-tailed tiger-like demon, ramming the centaur at full force, knocking it off its course and away from the fallen girl.

"Kotori?!" Yusuke gasped, still clutching his stomach.

Kotori bit viciously into the centaur's hide, causing it to cry out. When Kotori latched onto the centaur's lower back, digging in with massive claws, the centaur bucked furiously in an attempt to dislodge her.

Finally, Kotori is thrown off and kicked away, landing soundly on her feet behind the centaur. Kotori growled at the centaur dangerously and advanced. The centaur reared up on its hind legs and flailed desperately, barely missing Kotori.

Kotori backs away to avoid its hooves, and the centaur seized the opportunity and started to gallop away.

Too tired to give chase, Kotori unleashes a triumphant roar as she watches it disappear. She turns to Yusuke and Kuwabara who are shocked into stupidity at the moment and lets out a low mournful cry. She is able to make it about five steps their way before collapsing into a large furry heap on the ground.

After a few minutes of focusing their spirit energy, the two boys are able to sloppily patch up their wounds.

Yusuke and Kuwabara made their way over to Kotori to inspect her beaten form.

"She's alive, still," said Kuwabara, wiping the sweat from his face. "But...man, Kio's not gonna be happy when she sees how beaten up she is."

Yusuke, however, wasn't paying very strict attention. "Whatever; she'll get over it—Kotori is a demon...quick to heal."

He left Kuwabara and Kotori to go investigate the other body that was lying nearby.

"Damn," he said looking her over carefully. He sighed thankfully, "Well, at least she's not hurt too bad, just a few scrapes and bruises. Maybe a bump on the head." He smiled...she'd just fainted.

"So, Urameshi," Kuwabara said s he approached, "how is she?"

"Fine," he said nodding. "She hit her head though; we'll have to take her to a doc—"

"But she'll definitely tell them about all that! They'll think she's crazy!"

Yusuke grinned. "Well this chick is kinda nuts man."

"You know her, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, eyebrows raised.

Yusuke grinned even wider. "Well sure, this is the girl from yesterday—the one I told you guys about."

Kuwabara's head snapped up and he stared straight at Yusuke. "Shino?"

"Shino," said Yusuke finally.

"Oh boy," Kuwabara said looking down at the unconscious girl. "Well she saw everything; we can't just take her to any ol' doctor!"

Yusuke thought for a long time, brainstorming other places they could take her, then he finally came to a conclusion. He looked up suddenly, smiling, "Fine, we'll take her to Genkai—the ol' bat is bound to know some healing method."

"I'll just carry her and—"

"Nuh-uh, Urameshi! You're not getting' any freebees while I'm around. She's not even conscious for cryin' out loud!" Kuwabara motioned back towards Kotori, "You get the furball, and I'll take care of this one."

Yusuke shrugged, "Well you can't blame a guy for tryin'!"

"You're one seriously twisted guy, man."

Kuwabara lifted Shino into his arms with ease. Yusuke let out a strained laugh as he hoisted Kotori onto his back. And the two boys walked down to busy road together, each carrying their own burden, and each ignoring the dirty suspicious, and terrified looks they were getting from each person they passed.

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okay...so that was chapter 2 ...shorter i guess but eh...Note: Kotori is the same species of demon as Kirara from Inu-Yasha, so she can shift from kitten mode to tiger mode to fight.


End file.
